Then I think to myself, So this is what a $30k car with $50k in mods looks like? haha.

You must do something in the trade and have done most of this work yourself to keep it within some kind of budget.

Can you talk about how you came up with this idea, why, and how did you afford to do it?

I think allot of readers would be interested in how to do something like this themselves.

Thanks for posting your most excellent build.

Jeff

Thanks Jeff,

You know what they say, if you have a project car and a daily your must be a drug dealer... In all honesty I busted my ass, got my MBA and have a decent job in the finance industry. This basically helped me budget, negotiate discounts, sell off/trade parts for new parts, etc. It's been a long term hustle and I think a lot of what keeps this project going is the fun in selling parts to buy new parts and dealing with many different people which in turn, I help give advice for their project goals. I probably keep in touch with 50% of the people I sold parts to.

I'm a fan of that accessory block Ryan. It looks really nice!
I like the gauge and the shift light as well!

Thanks Nick. Wife is getting me a genuine add-a-fuse to keep that electrical block safer than running a wire and prong to the 20A accessory fuse. It makes adding accessories much easier and neater.

As for the shift light, I'll have some videos up on IG over the next few weeks. I just finished programming it the way I want and was able to add 1st gear staging.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zef

Curious to hear what your thoughts are on the Wilwood kit versus the Stoptech you had.

I love them. Stoptechs performed great but the single stage paint gloss wore off in under a year. The rotors rusted up terribly.

With the Wilwoods, I added the TTS/TTRS master cylinder and the 6-piston stopping power is great without upsetting bias. I have the Golf R 310mm rear rotor conversion with Stoptech slotted rotors and Hawk HPS 5.0 pads to match the Wilwood front pads. The fit and finish of the Wilwoods is much nicer, powder coated for durability. I had to learn how to "lace the rotors" after assembling the rotor ring to the hat. Basically safety wired the bolts on the backside, it was a cool experience to learn.

3) Motul Sport Ester 5W-50 100% Synthetic Engine Oil – Now with the engine fully broken in, I’m using an ester based synthetic oil for consistent high boost and wear protection. For weekend cars like mine, Ester provides oil adherence to metal surfaces which are not run / circulated daily. The oil weight change is for added cushion for my Audi coated bearings. I will have another Blackstone Labs oil analysis in another 2,000 miles but with winter here it will take a while.

No regrets on building this platform. I’ve been building it since the beginning of 2011 and have learned a ton, from simple bolt on parts to customization to water meth to fueling to tuning. I went stage 1, stage 2, K04, big turbo. My only semi-regret is that I should have gone straight to big turbo. I could have run K04 power levels on stock internals then once the engine was built I could have added fuel and flashed a higher boost file. If anyone is able to make the investment from stock turbo to big turbo, you are not limited in terms of power potential as you fill in the supporting build list (clutch, internals, fuel, etc.). AWD is great don’t get me wrong, but the cars are heavier, sometimes more complex, expensive and there is lost power transfer through all 4 wheels.

In terms of High HP FWD cars, a lot of people don’t plan on adding that much power when they first buy the car. I bought my 4-door GTI as a commuter car and to fit my growing family. Added some parts, added some more, admitted I was bit by the mod bug and went nuts to stay on top of the traction. If you’re willing to do the research and test various suspension parts and setups, there’s no reason why you can’t reign in the power on the street. Going to a big turbo does force you to learn how to drive all over again, but to be honest, the added spool allows for better traction and smooth drivability around town. It’s not like an IHI/K03/K04 with lightning spool where you can roast tires down low all day long. That’s not fast, that’s just fun. Traction is a balance of drivetrain and suspension and it’s taken me years of testing different manufacturers parts and combinations to get it right. Here are the most important excerpts related to traction:

Suspension:
H&R Front 26mm & Rear 24mm Sway Bars – more for traction in turns but aids in coupling the front tires and the rear tires.
ST Suspensions XTA Coilover Kit – allows me to adjust front camber to -1 degrees as FWD cars go into positive camber (targeting 0) upon acceleration. Allows me to set the front dampers to 75% soft to soak up road imperfections and travel and the rears to 50% stiff to help prevent squat without being too harsh. Allows me to corner balance the car with me inside the driver’s seat so the weight is 50/50 side to side and 60/40 front to back. Equal side to side weight and more weight at the front allows for more traction.
Stern Rear Subframe Brace – keeps the rear subframe locked in place which allows the suspension to work more effectively.
SuperPro Control Arm Kit – includes the anti-lift kit which provides additional caster (shifts the transverse engine weight forward over the front axles and tires).
Swift Rear 400lb Progressive Springs – Prevents rear squat and ultimately front lift on acceleration.
TyrolSport DeadSet Rigid Front Subframe Collar Kit – keeps the rear subframe locked in place which allows the suspension to work more effectively.
TyrolSport DeadSet Rigid Rear Subframe Collar Kit – keeps the rear subframe locked in place which allows the suspension to work more effectively.
TyrolSport Hatch Brace – more for traction in turns but aids in coupling the rear tires.
Unibrace UB – keeps the center of the chassis stiffer which allows the suspension to work more effectively.
Whiteline Rear Trailing Arm Front Bushings – Optimizes rear suspension geometry.

Eventually I’ll replace every suspension bushing with SuperPro bushings.

Thank You for your reply and going into detail on what you feel works. Thats cool.

I began my car mod life in the early 90's with a 91 civic hatch, went through several Honda's then I bought my first DSM Turbo car a 97 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T.

I ran into so much issues with traction with the GS-T I realized the cheapest way was to actually have AWD. Once you go turbo power, its so difficult to go back to natural aspiration.

In 2003 I bought my 1st Evo. I was the 2nd registered owner of the 2003 Evo 8 in California. The 1st was a Press Car that was registered to Mitsubishi in Cypress, CA.

The AWD on the Evo 8/9 is simple and very reliable. The 9's have weak Transfer Cases, but I had mine Built Through Shep Trans. The Evo X's began getting more complicated.

Got rid of my 8 to get a 9 base. My then wife was pissed I bought it, I sold it to please her. A year later I bought another 9 this time an MR. I did some slight suspension work, changed brake pads, did some minor mods, nothing crazy was making 340 at the wheels. I was running High 11's in the 1/4 on a good day and was ripping the circuits here in CA.

The Evo in the 5 yrs I had it making over 100whp more than stock never let me down. I blew an Intercooler pipe once, switched to T-Bolts, never had the problem again. Ran 26psi @ WOT with zero issues. On E85 or WMI was pushing 30psi, no problems. Loved that car.

Sadly, divorced, needed to sell the car to pay for legal fees. I had no car and needed something fun, turbo'd and practical now since I was moving stuff around place to place, and I have 2 kids. The GTI suited my needs.

Now 5 yrs later I still have my Bone Stock GTI sitting in the garage. I am doing better now emotionally and financially and wanted to trade or sell my GTI and get back into my world again, the Evo world. Problem is? Decent not trashed versions of Evo 9's are going for $30k with low miles. For a few grand more I can buy an RS, or something.

Then I think? This GTI is paid for, have had no issues but 4 water pumps and a crank angle sensor leak on me (thats good for a VW for what I am told). I have 47k miles on it. Thinking should I put some money into this and hope is stays reliable? Or dump it and go to something I know more about?

Its been a question on my mind for at least the past year. Dont get me wrong, some FWD platforms are pretty fast. The new Civic R is proof to that, but the Evo and its AWD saved my ass more than once in real life and on the track and for that reason I feel more confident with that type of platform. Especially when power goes up.

So I dont know. I am older now (mid 40's) been there, done that, and maybe its time to move on. Keep the GTI stock and just hand it down to my daughter who will be driving soon.

I like to read builds like this. It gives me ideas, but dang VW is so sketchy on reliability and all the plastic S H I T under the hood and BIG money to change stuff out. No one within 130 miles of where I live even touches a VW let alone mod one. I can do some stuff, but the stuff I would want to do? I would need help.

So we will see. I am in no hurry. What I can say is when I do drive the GTI, it does put a smile on my face. Its a DSG equipped car, its peppy, its fun and who knows...

Your build is pretty cool though, much respect for all your doing.

Here is a pic for you guys...of my GTI. Only Mods are OEM LED Tails, OEM Front Lip, 30% tint all around and some VAGCOM tweaks.
[IMG][/IMG]

Then I think? This GTI is paid for, have had no issues but 4 water pumps and a crank angle sensor leak on me (thats good for a VW for what I am told). I have 47k miles on it. Thinking should I put some money into this and hope is stays reliable? Or dump it and go to something I know more about?
[IMG][/IMG]

Jeff, props to you for keeping it mostly stock. My GTI is K04 and driven hard, with 144k on it. I've only replaced the radiator due a very small leak. The car is super reliable IMO.

Hyde, how are the Whiteline trailing arm bushings?? I am wondering about NVH...thanks.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by rs999

He's a real straight shooter, no monkey business, and the wheel swap at the Kohl's parking lot was quick and easy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTI_likeurmom

Well i did use a breaker bar to snug up that nut instead of a torque wrench.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreasyGinzo

my subframe has been out twice without replacing any bolts and I don't have subframe clunks and my world hasn't ended and my car hasn't blown up.